Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

  • Home
  • About
    • About Jim Connolly
    • My top marketing tips for 2025. Yours now, for free!
    • Privacy Policy
    • How I use cookies
    • Contact
    • Disclosure
  • Hire me
    • Let’s Grow Your Business
    • Pick My Brain for the results you need!

Be first

By Jim Connolly | February 28, 2025

do it first, proactive

Here’s a powerful, proven thought experiment I often use, to help people rapidly increase the growth of their businesses. I believe you’ll find it useful, so here it is.

I’d like you to muse on the following.

  1. Think of a business, which offers a unique blend of services, unlike others in their industry.
  2. Think of a business, which dedicates time every week to improving its effectiveness in one key area.
  3. Think of a business, which is dedicated to customer retention, so it seldom loses a client or customer.
  4. Think of a business, which actively builds a valuable network of decision makers.
  5. Think of a business, which uses highly effective marketing strategies, so it attracts the best customers.

Now, take a few moments to consider the following. What will happen when that type of business moves into your area, targeting your customers and targeting your future customers.

Here’s how to protect your business, AND make a ton of extra sales along the way.

Let’s go!

Be the threat

Before something like that happens to you, it’s essential for YOU to do it first. Become that threat, to your existing competitors. Take action on every one of those 5 steps above and watch your business grow faster and stronger than ever before.

The hardest part is not applying those 5 steps. There’s lots of ways to put all 5 of them into play. By far, the hardest part is getting started as soon as possible and working on it until your business is protected.

If you’re not quite motivated enough to take action yet, this may help. It’s what we see happen every time a well-prepared competitor targets an area.

  • The competitor arrives with a well-planned strategy in place and is making waves.
  • The competitor also has total control of the time line. This gives them a massive advantage.
  • The unprepared businesses are shocked to find themselves in the middle of a commercial attack.
  • The unprepared businesses are left scrambling for ideas as they try to figure out what to do. All the while, the competitor is gaining more and more market share.

In short, don’t wait. Be the threat. Plan for massive success right now. Choose to become that proactive, uniquely valuable, constantly improving threat to your competitors.

Plus, once you get started, you’ll quickly find yourself with more confidence, energy and greater peace of mind. It’s a natural consequence of proactively planning for success.

Photo by Ant Rozetsky

The small business owners I work with enjoy far more sales, attract better clients and grow amazing businesses. If you want the same, here’s exactly how it happens.

FREE marketing tips & advice

Get my best marketing tips, advice and ideas delivered direct to your inbox. Just add your email below.
I respect your privacy.

Hi! I'm Jim Connolly and I help small business owners to increase sales, boost their profits and build amazing businesses. Read more here.

Featured by

marketing advice, marketing help

Site sponsor

packaging consultancy

Categories

  • Blogging (406)
  • Business development (477)
  • Copywriting (303)
  • Email marketing & mail shots (186)
  • General marketing (1,665)
  • Professional development (534)
  • Social media marketing (355)

Hosting provider

20i hosting

Search

Recent posts

  • Marketing gold: The follow-up May 10, 2025
  • How to make more sales, in uncertain times May 8, 2025
  • 17 Tips to help you grow a stronger business May 6, 2025
  • How to increase your prices May 2, 2025
  • Your economy April 27, 2025
  • From rags to riches? April 26, 2025
  • Tiny tweaks. Huge wins April 21, 2025
  • Working in. Working on April 15, 2025
  • How to own your competitors. It’s easier than you think April 12, 2025
  • Four questions that helped a subscriber boost sales by 68% April 8, 2025
  • Ignore the uninterested April 7, 2025
  • Does your business pass the coffee shop test? April 6, 2025
  • It’s back to normal for you and your business April 5, 2025
  • Marketing 101: Vigorous, written marketing April 2, 2025
  • The horrible truth about marketing April 1, 2025
  • I have no clients. Seriously. Not even one! March 26, 2025
  • Finish strong March 20, 2025
  • Read this and improve your advertising results, fast March 16, 2025
  • Marketing 101: Get your prospects to buy now March 13, 2025
  • The persuasion gap March 6, 2025
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Home
  • About
  • Hire me

Copyright © 2025 Jim Connolly